Rest
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles is determined to be there for his patients, and for Daphne and David. But all of his efforts have caught up with him. One-shot.


Niles stared at his notes. He'd read them over five times, and yet he couldn't make any sense of them. He was beyond exhausted, but he was determined. David had been sick recently, so he'd taken care of the baby at night to allow Daphne to rest. It all seemed to be catching up with him.

Suddenly, he could keep his eyes open no longer. As soon as they closed, he saw a beautiful vision of his wife in a red sequined dress. They danced a tango all alone. He couldn't be sure if it was a memory, a dream, or reality. But whatever it was, it was heavenly. Out of nowhere, he felt someone grab his arm. He turned away from Daphne to see who it was.

"Dr. Crane, wake up!" Mrs. Woodon's voice startled Niles.

"What? Oh, I guess I must have drifted off. But I'm fine now. Thank you, Mrs. Woodson." He smiled brightly, hoping she would be fooled.

"Are you sure?" The secretary looked at him with concern.

"Yes. I'm sure." He ignored the signs that a nosebleed was imminent.

"Maybe I'd better call Daphne."

Niles sighed. He knew Mrs. Woodson would not take no for an answer. In addition to her qualifications as a receptionist, she also had a remarkable ability to make his patients feel at ease. It was one of the reasons he'd hired her. "All right. I don't think I'm getting much done here anyway."

Mrs. Woodson walked back to her desk. She returned a moment later. "She's on her way. Go home and get some rest. Goodnight, Dr. Crane." With that, she left. Niles could hardly believe this. He knew he'd been pushing himself, but he thought he could handle it. Hadn't his father worked many long hours as a police officer, just to put him and Frasier through school? Why should this be any different? Niles solemnly walked out into his own waiting room.

He thought of Daphne. She did so much at home, taking care of David, doing the housework, and keeping an eye on Martin. And when David was sick, he could see Daphne was at the end of her rope. So he decided to stay up with his son. It seemed to be the least he could do. For so long, he'd dreamed of marrying Daphne and building a life with her. Now that he had the opportunity, he was determined to make it count. So far, he hadn't done a very good job of it.

Suddenly, the door to Niles' office burst open, and there stood Daphne. A sleeping baby lay in her arms. "I came as quickly as I could. Poor Mrs. Woodson was so worried about you! But I told her everything would be all right. Now, she's going to clear your schedule for tomorrow. Let's just get you home now and into bed."

Niles didn't know what to say. He simply followed her back out into the hallway to wait for the elevator. But as he saw her looking adoringly down at David, his heart broke. "Daphne, I'm so sorry. I let you down." The elevator dinged, and the three of them got on.

Daphne looked up at him. "Hush. You did nothing of the sort. You've been doing your best to take care of us, and I love you for it. But you can't do everything. I was thinking about it while I was on me way over here. We just have to take turns. You could look after David for a few nights, and then I could. But we can't have you pushing yourself like this anymore. It obviously isn't working for you, and I don't like seeing you this way."

Niles nodded. He was grateful he had such a supportive wife. He knew only too well how it felt to be with someone who didn't care about him. He leaned over and kissed her quickly. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you." They'd now reached the lobby of Niles' building and walked out.

Daphne laughed. "Well, without you, I'd probably still be living with your brother! It looks like you and David could both use some sleep. But you should be well rested tomorrow. We'll have to find some way to fill all of your free time." She smiled at him knowingly.

Niles sighed. "That sounds wonderful." He could already feel himself relax as he got into the passenger's seat of the car.

Daphne got into the driver's seat after securing David into his car seat. She glanced over at her husband and saw him struggling once more to stay awake. She caressed his cheek gently. "We'll be home in a few minutes."

True to her word, Daphne got her family back home safe and sound. She returned her son to his crib. Luckily this little adventure hadn't disturbed him at all. Daphne was grateful for that.

While Daphne took care of David, Niles focused on making his way to the bedroom. He could barely see where he was going, but eventually he made it there. He somehow managed to change his clothes before falling into bed. He sighed contentedly, drifting off peacefully at last. Once again, he found himself in the arms of an angel in a red dress. At that moment, he knew he couldn't ask for more.

**The End**


End file.
